Second Star to the Right
by passionately-curious
Summary: They say all children must grow up at some time. But Peeta was never one to listen to the silly words of silly adults. Peter Pan inspired fic.
1. All Children Grow Up

They say all children must grow up at some time. But Peeta was never one to listen to the silly words of silly adults. Adults only believed that all children needed to grow up because they had already grown up. They had forgotten the joy of being naive, the boundless imagination of a child who hadn't been gripped by society and told what was right and wrong, the strength of believing in pretend. Peeta didn't trust adults as far as he could throw them, which, was actually very far for Peeta was a strong, sturdy, stocky lad, just like his brothers had been at his age. And his father. At least, that's how he remembered his father. But that wasn't the point. Grown-ups, as far as he was concerned, were the cause of more unhappiness and hatred and evil than anything else he had ever known.

Peeta refused to grow up and be unhappy and evil. And so, the first time he overheard his mother talking to his papa about what he was to be when he became a man, Peeta climbed out his window, shimmied down the tree in the yard, and left that world behind. He followed the stars, because he remembered the stories his papa would tell him about how stars were young fairies being born and Peeta very much wanted a fairy of his own. First star the right, straight on till morning and he found the Capitol. His own never-never land.

Peeta was not alone in the Capitol. There were others there, beautiful mermaids and tricky Indians and dastardly pirates, all like the stories he was once told. And other children, children like him who never wanted to grow up and ran away from home. Some were much younger than he was and others a little older. Time, it seemed, moved quite differently in the Capitol. Days and weeks and months would pass in only a few short hours in our world. This meant the children all remained young for much longer, Peeta couldn't even recall a single Tribute that grew too old for the Capitol and he had been there for what seemed like forever.

When the other children, Tributes as they affectionately referred to one another, would wake up crying, or couldn't fall asleep at all, Peeta would look after them. He'd tell them silly stories about undersea adventures with the mermaids. Or hiding in the woods with the natives. Or the time he fed Captain Snow's hand to a flock of birds flying overhead. More often, however, he told them stories his papa told him because the Tributes loved those the most. But Peeta was a young boy when he left home and quickly ran out of stories. So late night, after the Tributes fell asleep, Peeta would leave the Capitol, searching for new stories.

He flew far across the skies, back to the familiar layout of his former home in the 12th district, always making sure to avoid the house he was born in, out of fear they would try to take him back. Besides, he was the youngest in their family and there was no one left to tell stories to.

Instead, he lucked upon a small house on the opposite side of the district, lived in by the Everdeens. Though tiny and nearly falling apart at the seams, the Everdeen home was stuffed to the brim with love and light and laughter. Every night, the father would come into the small nursery, where the mother would be rocking a small infant, kiss her forehead and say, "My darling, how I love you." Then the father, with his deep hair and dark skin, covered in a thin layer of coal dust, would take the infant from the mother's arms and kiss the infant's forehead, whispering words even Peeta couldn't hear.

At first, there was only one young girl, with olive skin and raven black hair. She was being rocked in her father's arms and he sang to her the sweetest song Peeta had ever heard. He would never be able to replicate the man's voice but he memorized the words, forming a narrative in his head. It was his favorite home and he told the Tributes it was because they had the best songs and stories, which was true. But it also housed that little girl with the sharp, quicksilver eyes whose voice was more wonderful than her father's. When the second child came, another girl with much fairer features, the older girl would sing the songs her father once sang.

It would be much later in his life that he realized he was a complete goner for her.

Peeta knew something was wrong when the nursery window was closed. It was raining, but that had never stopped the Everdeens from keeping it open. He pressed his ear against the barrier, hearing movement inside, and something more. Crying. Like when the Tributes missed their parents. If he had looked around, he would have seen the signs - a floral wreath on the door, lilies strewn in the yard, a large pile of freshly overturned soil under the large tree out front. But as it was, Peeta did not see any of those things and did not know that earlier that morning, Mr. Everdeen had been killed. And that inside the boarded up house, Mrs. Everdeen was locked inside herself, leaving a crying child and scared young girl to look after her.

He stayed in that windowsill until the first rays of dawn began to peak out over the horizon. "Tomorrow," he promised the Tributes, when he came home with nothing new to offer them. But night after night, tomorrow after tomorrow, Peeta was met with closed shades and dark rooms and no new songs. He never gave up on the home or that beautiful girl. As if by accident one night, the window was left partially opened and he was content to sit in the sill and watch the young girls, now much older than he last remembered. The oldest sang only when the youngest pleaded and always discretely wiped away tears from her eyes afterward.

It pulled at his childlike heartstrings when she cried. He asked the mermaids but they had little to offer him, as they were young like him. There was one, with flowing brown hair and eyes the color of the sea, who knew Peeta's troubles, as they had grown close in their time together in the Capitol. With a sweet, shy smile, she offered him an oyster shell from her collection. "Open it," she instructed, her eyes shining brightly. "It's my favorite. She'll like it."

He rolled the iridescent sphere inside between his fingers and grinned back at her. "Thank you."

She blushed and jumped back into the lagoon, leaving Peeta alone with the pearl and an idea. He took it to the natives, who could create beauty from anything on the island, where a young girl with wide-set eyes and short, spiky hair fashioned it into a simple necklace.

That night, as he sat in the windowsill and listened to the older girl quietly sing a lullaby to her younger sister, and eventually fall asleep, he tiptoed into the room and laid the necklace in her outstretched hand. He was most pleased to see her wearing the piece the next time he saw her, even if she did keep it hidden under her shirt until she went to bed. Only then would she pull the pearl out and roll it between her fingers before gently bringing it to her lips. Every night, as he journeyed to collect stories, he stopped by the Everdeen house to check in on that girl and her little sister.

He was less than pleased, however, when the grey-eyed girl was not in her room, instead sitting at the base of the old tree in her backyard. Peeta hid high in the branches, trying to remain quiet but between his size and the size of the tree branches, it was a losing battle. Once, he could swear her eyes were locked onto his and he remained absolutely frozen, blending in with the foliage surrounding him. He didn't care that she was outside. He cared that she was outside with someone else. A boy only slightly older than she was, with remarkably similar features. He had the same dark complexion and grey eyes. He was tall and thin but clearly knew this grey-eyed girl well, judging by their close proximity.

Peeta couldn't understand the feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched the two of them interact, but it was unnatural and unwelcomed as far as he was concerned. Knowing he wouldn't get a single story or song out of this house, he dashed out of the tree, kicking free of a slight tug from the branches, and sped off back to the Capitol, vowing never to go back.

It wasn't until that morning that he realized in his haste, he would need to go back. And soon. For what good is a boy without his shadow?

* * *

**AN: **Dandelionsunset put this idea in my head maaaaany many months ago and I finally feel ready to post the prologue. I have some of the next chapter written so hopefully it won't be too long for an update. This fic is clearly based on Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie, but will shift a little from the original story.

Many thanks go to LBug82, 30smmof2, and Wollaston for their help with this chapter and the story overall. Come visit me on tumblr : mitchesbcray


	2. Shadows and Stars

The first time Katniss met him, she was tiptoeing between the realms of dream and reality. She saw him crawl in through the window, blending into the shadows of the bedroom. A small twinkle of light, which was never far behind him on any of his adventures, flitted around the bare room.

"Quiet," the boy whispered, "we're on a mission of great importance."

The light let out a quiet chime and flew around the small room a few more times, leaving behind a trail of glittery dust.

The boy scowled at the light. "Delly Cartwright, you stop that right now and help me. Unless you want me to not have a shadow."

Another light chime in response.

"Well, that's your prerogative. But I'd like my shadow back, thank you very much. Now get off your butt and help me, young lady." He set about searching behind the curtains and under the beds, quietly calling out for his shadow. He glanced over his shoulder at where the light was walking back and forth over the foot board of one of the beds. "Del!" he hissed. "If you don't help then I shall not invite you on my next adventure."

The light turned a shade of red, fluttered over to the dresser and struggled to pull open the top drawer.

"Women," the boy muttered, returning to his search. He crept to the dresser the light was on and slid the drawers open, throwing the clothes onto the floor around him in a half hazard method. When he emptied the bottom drawer, he moved to the next one, repeating the process, completely unaware of the light's progress with the top drawer. Or more, that the light opened the drawer just enough to fall in and get stuck amongst the contents.

He 'hurumphed' at the mess around him, more annoyed that the adult who stole his shadow had somehow outsmarted him. He was the most clever boy that ever was - outsmarting every grownup he had encountered. He didn't like that he was failing. That _dammed_ shadow was hiding, afraid of the punishment it would receive for getting caught. But he was more clever than his shadow and he would find it and take it back with him.

"Delly? Delly," he cooed in a whisper. She was likely irritated with him, as she almost always was, for she was sometimes a hot-tempered girl and he an ignorant boy. Although he knew she'd come out eventually, he was in no mood for her silent treatment at the moment, and called for her more aggressively. Again, she did not respond. "I will leave you, you silly girl," he threatened, though it was in vain as he would be too lonely without her company.

It was then, from the corner of his eye, that he spotted it. His shadow. In a small box, struggling to get free. "Ah ha!" he cried, bounding across the room to open his box. His shadow sprung loose and leapt to the ceiling, but not before the boy could grab its foot and drag it back down. "Oh no, you don't," he hissed. "You escaped me once but I won't let you go this time." With one hand firmly around the shadow's ankle, the boy set off for something that would reunite the two.

At this point, Katniss was almost positive she was not in a dream. Though she could not explain how a boy got into her room. Or how he was dragging his shadow across the room. All she knew was, dream or not, she did not want Prim to wake up from the noise he was making. She had enough troubles falling asleep when their mother was having an episode and their uncle Haymitch wasn't around to look after them, Katniss didn't want to deal with trying to get her baby sister back to sleep in the middle of the night.

But there was no way a boy could be in her room, clutching his shadow in one hand. Not for real. _It must be a dream_.

"Boy," she whispered, sitting up in bed, peering into the darkness. "Why are you crying?"

Blue eyes appeared, staring back at her from the darkness. "I never cry."

"Fine. Why are you making so much noise?"

"What's your name?"

She paused, caught off guard by his sudden change of subject. "Katniss Moira Angela Everdeen. What is yours?"

"Peeta Pan."

"That's a strange name."

"So is Katniss. Named for a potato?"

She scowled. "It's a plant, not a potato. Besides, you're named for bread. No wonder you were crying."

"I wasn't crying because of my name," he spat, indignantly. "I was crying because I can't get my shadow to stick. Well, I mean, I wasn't crying, I was...my shadow. It won't stick." He let out an exasperated sigh.

"Stick...to what?"

"To me. What else would a shadow stick to?" He was convinced that although this girl, this Katniss Moira Angela Everdeen, may have a beautiful voice, she wasn't very clever.

"I didn't know shadows could become...unstuck…" None of this was making any sense to Katniss. _Not that it should_, she reasoned, _when did dreams __ever__make sense?_

The noise in the room ceased, making her uneasy. She remembered her father warning her about when animals became quiet. And invisible, as this boy was. She searched the room, scanning every corner of the dark bedroom, looking for any sign of those blue eyes she had been watching. She let out a loud gasp when he floated down in front of her, his shadow clutched in his hand and a teeth-baring grin on his face. "Mine is particularly naughty and likes to play games. Do you know how to fix this?"

She was distracted by how long his eyelashes were and wondered if they tangled together when he blinked. She was distracted by his blue eyes, which, up close, were not just blue, but swirls of blue and green and hints of star dust. She was distracted by the way the skeleton leaves dressed his body but exposed the way his muscles flexed as he fought to maintain control of his shadow.

"Well? Do you?" he asked, interrupted her thoughts.

"What?"

He smirked. "Do you know how to fix this? Or does she?" He nodded his head to where Prim was sleeping in her bed. "Either way, I need this fixed so I can get back home. So if you don't know how then I will be more than happy to wake her up and -"

"No!" Katniss hissed, her eyebrows knitted together in frustration and anger. "Don't bother her. You'll leave afterwards?"

"You'll fix this?"

"Of course."

"Of course," he mimicked back to her.

She scowled at him as she pulled her blankets off and swept across the room to where she knew her mother's old sewing kit would be. Peeta spun around on the bed, not even leaving a wrinkle on her blanket as he did so. "I'll have to sew it on you," she said, retrieving the kit and coming back to him. "It'll probably hurt."

"I won't cry. I never cry," he reminded her, holding his foot out expectantly for her. He watched her work the needle and thread expertly, hardly noticing when the sharp tip would pierce his bare foot. When she worked, he noticed that she chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. "How old are you?"

"Nearly seventeen," she answered, beginning work on his second foot. "How old are you?"

Peeta had never given much thought to his age. He was young when he ran away. He was bigger now, he knew that, but he didn't know how old he was. No one ever thought much of that in the Capitol because no one thought much of growing up. But as he watched her, he supposed he could be about her age if he had never left. "Me too. Nearly seventeen."

She glanced up at him, an eyebrow cocked as if she didn't believe him, but went back to work. She pushed his foot out of her lap and proclaimed him to be shadowed once again.

Peeta wiggled his feet and seeing that his shadow mirrored him, jumped off the bed in glee. "How clever I am!" he announced to no one in particular. "Oh the cleverness of me."

"Yes. How clever of you. You who tried to stick your shadow on with soap," she shot back. She'd never admit to finding his youthful arrogance attractive in the slightest.

He smirked again. "I suppose you helped. A little."

She would never admit that anytime he grinned at her, her stomach tightened and she fought her face not to smile back. Instead she huffed and turned back to her bed. "There. You're whole again. Now please leave before my sister wakes up from all the ruckus."

Peeta bowed to her, the way Delly always instructed him to do when taking his leave, when he paused. "Wait."

"What is it now?"

"I seem to have misplaced my fairy," he answered. "I can't think where she's gone to. Delly! Delly Cartwright, you come out here this instant." A faint chime was heard from the dresser and Peeta began to laugh. "Katniss," he said, his hand covering his face. "I think I locked her in that drawer!" He bounded over to release her and the small light flew around the room, spewing things at Peeta that Katniss couldn't understand.

"Delly. It was an accident, honest."

The light landed on the edge of Katniss' bed. Katniss could clearly see that it was not just a light, but a very small girl - similar in age to them - also clad in leaves. "What...what is that?"

The small girl began talking, even though Katniss could only hear light chimes. Peeta, on the other hand, could clearly understand that Delly Cartwright did not appreciate being referred to as a "what" by such a plain girl.

Katniss watched the two interact and it reminded her of the rare times her parents would argue with one another, never terrible but always familiar. Peeta and...Delly as he had called her...were clearly very close. And she was very beautiful; she had shining blonde hair and curves that Katniss didn't know could exist on such a young creature. Katniss, for her part, was rather plain. There was nothing at all remarkable about her, which was just fine as far as she was concerned. At least, it was until this voluptuous, hot-tempered glitter of light came into her life.

"I'm sorry if she offended you," Peeta offered quietly. He was sitting at the edge of the bed but the light had flown off. "Sometimes she gets overprotective of me."

"Girls can be like that."

"She is a sweet fairy, I promise. You'd like her."

"I doubt that very much. I'm not good at making friends." Katniss pulled the blankets up to her body. "This has been such an odd dream," she mused.

"Dream?"

"Yes. None of this can be real, can it? It's all too...silly, I suppose. Shadows coming off and fairies being jealous. There's surely no such thing as fair-"

Peeta was next to her in an instant, his hand covering her mouth, a crazed look in his eye. "Katniss, shush. You mustn't finish that sentence. Ever."

He lowered his hand from her lips and she licked them instinctively. "Why not?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper. Her skin tingled from where his fingertips were.

"Children grow older so much faster than they used to. They stop believing in things like magic and fairies. And every time a child says they don't believe, a fairy falls down dead. There are so few of them left now." He sat back slightly. "I could show you. If you'd like."

"Show me? How?"

"I could take you to the Capitol. That's where they're born, that's where they live and fly about. Let's go - tonight. Right now," his smile was infectious as he pulled on her hand. "I'll teach you to fly, Katniss Moira Angela Everdeen. We can jump on the wind's back and say funny things to the stars. We'll be as free as the birds."

His hand was outreached toward hers. She hesitated. She considered. Ever since her father died, she was forced to grow up. To be the adult she wasn't supposed to be. She tried, for her sister's sake, not to let it show. She wanted Prim to have the childhood she deserved, to not be burdened like she had been. Peeta's offer was ever so tempting and for the first time in many years, Katniss finally felt like maybe she'd have that chance to get back what she lost.

"I can't," she whispered, just as their fingers nearly touched.

"Why not? Katniss, don't you understand what the Capitol is? It's freedom. From...from all of this." He motioned around the room, a confused look gracing his youthful features. "Why would you turn that down?" He knew what she had been through, knew how quickly she had grown up and how unhappy she seemed lately. He was genuinely lost as to what she was thinking.

"I have...responsibilities," she ended lamely. She'd never admit it aloud, but she hated her responsibilities. She hated her father for dying. She hated her mother for falling apart. She hated it all and she wanted nothing more than to leave them behind. "I just can't."

Peeta watched her carefully. "Katniss…" He reached out for her again. "It'll be you and me. Together. No responsibilities. No sadness. You won't be alone."

Alone. Is that what she was? Alone. Lonely. They were one in the same to her at this point. She had Prim. She loved Prim. But she was still alone. She was still lonely. The corners of her mouth turned up and he knew he had gotten his way. He knew she would be coming with him. Her hand fit perfectly in his and he was easily able to pull her up toward him. She let out a small gasp when she bumped into him and he wrapped his other arm around her. "Together?"

"Together," he promised. His eyes sparkled and she was drawn to him in a way she had never experienced before, even with Gale, whom she was fairly certain was waiting for her 18th birthday to propose. But being with Peeta, even in this short amount of time, set her on fire.

He pulled her toward the window and pushed it open with one hand. "Ready?"

She nodded, not afraid at all of where they may be off to or how they were to get there. "Yeah."

"Dell?" Peeta called out, keeping his eyes locked on Katniss'. Delly's chiming response was cut off, by a low growl. Katniss' eyes widened when she spotted the dark yellow eyes peering at them through the darkness.

"Buttercup," she whispered, as the eyes shot toward where Delly was flying toward them. Buttercup gave chase to the tiny fairy around the room, knocking items off the dresser and walls. At one point, the cat landed squarely on top of Prim's sleeping body, causing the young girl to wake with a fright. Buttercup, who was always closer to the youngest Everdeen girl because Katniss constantly threatened to drown the mangy thing, curled up in Prim's lap and began to purr, pretending to be completely innocent. Prim looked over to where the open window was allowing moonlight through and gasped.

"Katniss? What are you-who is that?"

Katniss released Peeta's hand and stepped toward Prim's bed. Buttercup growled and Katniss glared at it. "Um...Prim this is…"

"Peeta. Peeta Pan," Peeta answered, flying over to the foot of Prim's bed. He bowed his head to her, which made Prim giggle and bow her head back. "Who are you?"

"Prim Rose Everdeen. And this is Buttercup." She held the offending creature up to Peeta, who grinned and reached out to scratch it's head. Surprisingly, the cat that hated everyone but Prim, began to purr at the boy's touch. Katniss rolled her eyes, sure the thing was just trying to spite her. "What was he chasing?"

"My fairy, Delly," Peeta answered.

Prim's eyes were as big as saucers. "A fairy?!" She looked over at Katniss who reluctantly nodded her head. She gave a quiet shriek and turned back to Peeta. "Where is your fairy? I bet she's beautiful. Wait. It's a she right? Or a he, since you're a boy? Are there boy fairies? Are they just as pretty. Oh...to see a fairy" Prim had gone into a dream-like state as she rambled on.

Peeta chuckled easily at her. "There aren't any boy fairies. Delly is a girl and she's around here somewhere. I bet she'd like to meet you, too. You both have pretty golden hair," he winked at her, which made Prim giggle and flush. Katniss realized then that the boy was quite a charmer and wondered if that was part of what made her want to go with him. She frowned at the idea that she had been taken by the ruse. "Delly! It's safe to come out now," he called. The tiny fairy came out from where she was hiding behind the curtain and flew to Peeta's shoulder.

"Oh!" Prim breathed, leaning forward. "She isbeautiful. Hello."

Delly let out a small chime and Peeta told Prim she was saying hello back. "She says you're quite pretty, yourself. Says we look like we could be siblings." He looked over at Katniss who was sucking in her cheeks. "But I think you look more like your pretty sister than ugly ol' me."

"Where were you two going?" Prim asked. "When you were at the window just now. Were you going somewhere?"

"Nowhere -"

"To the Capitol, where I live." Peeta answered at the same time as Katniss. "I was telling your sister that it's a wonderful place full of magic and adventure. A place where children never grow up."

"Never grow up? How?" Prim asked. Katniss rolled her eyes. Peeta had touched on Prim's desire. While Katniss feared being an adult because of the responsibilities and lost childhood, Prim didn't want to grow up because grown ups eventually grow oldand die. She could see how hard her own father's death had been on the family and she wished that could never happen to any other family again.

Peeta shrugged. "Time is different. It's a magical place. Would you like to come to with us?"

"We're not going," Katniss interrupted. "We can't go, Prim. It's not real. This is just a dream, you'll wake up and it'll just be a dream." She looked at Peeta, who was staring at her in disbelief.

_Didn't we just have this conversation_, he wondered. This girl was very confusing and he didn't like it one bit. What he liked even less was that he caredabout why this girl was so confusing. She was just a girl. There was nothing inherently special about her. But for some reason she got under his skin.

"If it's just a dream," Prim started slowly, looking down at her hands, "then what's the harm of going with him? We'd just wake up in our beds in the morning and it wouldn't matter. Right?" She looked at Peeta for confirmation and he decided he very much liked this little Everdeen girl.

"That is an excellent point, Prim Rose Everdeen. There is nothing but adventure waiting for us."

Both heads turned to Katniss and she scowled at them. She softened at Prim's pleading expression, like she always did. Prim was her Achilles heel. "Only for one night," she warned. "You are to be back in your bed by morning."

"We," Prim corrected with a sweet smile. "We will be back in bed by morning. So, Peeta. How do we get to the Capitol?"

Katniss did not like the budding friendship between the two one bit. But even she had to admit that a night out of their somber home was what she needed. And wanted.

Peeta looked over at Delly, then out the window at the starry sky. Second star to the right. Straight on till morning. "How? We fly of course."

* * *

**AN:** Many thanks, as always, go out to my wonderful beta, 30smmof2, and prereader, Lbug84. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know your thoughts and come say hi on tumblr - mitchesbcray


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